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Circle Surrogacy
Industry Surrogacy, Third-party reproduction
Founded1995
FounderJohn Weltman
Headquarters,
Number of locations
7 (2024)
Area served
Over 70 countries
ParentNorthStar Fertility Partners
Website circlesurrogacy.com

Circle Surrogacy is a US-based surrogacy agency headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. [1] [2] [3] Circle Surrogacy carries an audited success rate for intended parents having a baby at 99.3%. [4] [5]

History

Circle Surrogacy was founded in 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to establishing the agency, founder John Weltman and his husband had children through surrogacy. [6]

Circle Surrogacy’s first baby was born to a heterosexual couple from Massachusetts. [7] Circle Surrogacy serves both intended parents and surrogates, touting various financing options, support for international parents in over 70 countries, and a careful vetting and matching process, in which surrogate applicants participate in screenings with a social worker and complete psychological testing. [8] [9] [10] In 2010, Circle moved it's headquarters to the current location in downtown Boston. More recently, the agency has opened regional offices in several U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., New York and the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as their first international office in London. [11] [12] As of 2019, Circle has facilitated the birth of over 2000 babies via surrogacy and egg donation. [13]

Surrogacy services

Circle Surrogacy provides services for intended parents & gestational carriers from the application and screening process through post-birth. [14] [15] As a full-service agency founded by a lawyer, Circle Surrogacy also provides legal services for clients in any of the surrogacy programs the company provides. [16]

Circle Surrogacy follows the strict guidelines established by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). [17] The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) is a multidisciplinary organization dedicated to the advancement of the science and practice of reproductive medicine. It provides a forum for the public, researchers, physicians and affiliated health workers through education, publications, and meetings.

There are many situations in which prospective parents may benefit from using a surrogate mother, including:

  1. Heterosexual couples who have struggled with infertility.
  2. Intended mothers who are unable to carry a child.
  3. Intended parents, who have a genetic defect or health condition they don't want to pass onto the child.
  4. Same sex intended parents who want to have a genetic link to the baby.

Egg donation services and Everie egg bank

Beginning in 1995 to 2000, Circle Surrogacy began to help people find egg donors for pure egg donation. [14] Over the next two decades, the company discovered a need for a transparent, comprehensive resource for pure egg donors, intended parents, and their families. It was this realization that inspired the creation of Everie Egg Bank in 2023, with a proprietary Mutual Match™ system to foster ideal outcomes for donors and parents alike. Similarly to Circle, the company is headquartered in Boston, with parent company 'NorthStar Fertility Partners' overseeing all related organizations. [18] Everie's offerings include a guide to donor qualification and compensation, various testimonials from real donors, a browsable database, and more. [19]

Surrogacy.com

Another trend noticed by Circle Surrogacy/NorthStar Fertility throughout the early 21st century was a desire by new surrogates for interaction with previous surrogates, for the purposes of gathering information to prepare for the surrogacy process. With this in mind, Surrogacy.com was launched on November 14, 2023. The site purports to be a destination for candid, honest information about the surrogacy process, and operates a member-only community for new surrogates, experienced surrogates and their loved ones to share stories, advice, and answer questions about surrogacy in a safe and friendly environment. [20] [21]

Industry scope and historical review

Surrogacy is an arrangement, often supported by a legal agreement, whereby a woman agrees to bear a child for another person or persons, who will become the child's parent after birth. [22] [23] The surrogacy industry originally started as early as 1978, when the first baby was successfully conceived through an IVF transfer. [24]

In 1980, an establishment for a “compensated-surrogacy” was concluded, reporting a successful transition, outlining an agreement between the two parties (traditional surrogate and the intended parents) rewarding a total of $10,000 to successfully carry and deliver a baby for the intended couples/parents. [25]

Technological advancements led to increased surrogacy methodologies. The number of surrogacy agencies increased, providing surrogacy services for both females and males, regardless of their sexual preferences or orientation. [26]

See also

References

  1. ^ Michael Alison Chandler, "With new surrogacy law, D.C. joins jurisdictions that are making it easier for gay and infertile couples to start families". The Washington Post. 3 June 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  2. ^ Christine Ro, "The workplaces that will pay for surrogacy". BBC. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  3. ^ Sophia Yan, "Chinese are hiring surrogate moms in America". CNN. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  4. ^ Jennifer Gerson, "How Does Surrogacy Work and What Does It Cost?". Marie Claire. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  5. ^ Breda O'Brien, "Surrogacy splits motherhood into bits". The Irish Times. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  6. ^ Ashby Jones, "Putting a Price on a Human Egg". The Wall Street Journal. 26 July 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  7. ^ Evan Pondel, "Why Israeli gays opt for US surrogate births". pri.org. 18 April 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  8. ^ Ben Tinker, "The top 10 questions about surrogacy for same-sex couples, answered". CNN. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  9. ^ Expert Surrogate Matching for Intended Parents.” Circle Surrogacy, 2020, Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  10. ^ Fertility, Hatch. "Top 5 Surrogacy Agencies of 2024 - Hatch Fertility". www.hatch.us. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  11. ^ "Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation Announces New Regional Office in California". apnews.com. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  12. ^ "Licensed Gestational Surrogacy Organizations". www.health.ny.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  13. ^ "We Did It! We've Reached 2,000 Babies at Circle Surrogacy!". circlesurrogacy.com. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  14. ^ a b Kevin Losani, "How Surrogacy Is Redefining What It Means To Be A Mother". elitedaily.com. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  15. ^ Marisa Lascala, "What Is Surrogacy? The Process, Types, and Costs, Explained by Experts". goodhousekeeping.com. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  16. ^ David Dodge, "What to Know Before Your Surrogacy Journey". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  17. ^ "New Bay Area location will help serve even more families on their journey to parenthood". businesswire.com. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  18. ^ Fertility, Northstar. "NEW EGG DONATION BANK LAUNCHES, PRIORITIZING DONOR TRANSPARENCY". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  19. ^ "Resources for Egg Donors & IPs". Everie. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  20. ^ Fertility, Northstar. "SURROGACY.COM LAUNCHES AS A NEW, TRUSTED RESOURCE AND COMMUNITY FOR SURROGATES". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  21. ^ "Pre-Qual Form". Surrogacy. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  22. ^ "IVF and adoption didn't work for me, so I found a surrogate. Here's what I learned". thelily.com. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  23. ^ Kristin Marsoli, "How I Beat Cancer, Showed Infertility the Door, and Became a Mom". thriveglobal.com. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  24. ^ Shalayne Pulia, "I Was a Surrogate and This Is What It's Really Like". instyle.com. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  25. ^ Darlena Cunha, "The Hidden Costs of International Surrogacy". The Atlantic. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  26. ^ Susan Donald James, "Surrogate Mom Damages Heart After Four Babies". ABC News. Retrieved 1 December 2019.